FCS - Focused Community Strategies’ Post

A vibrant, people-oriented and pedestrian friendly downtown matters to all of us. Our organization, alongside partners Paths for People, Downtown Recovery Coalition, Edmonton Downtown Business Association, and Downtown Edmonton Community League are advocating for bold changes and concrete steps to make this vision a reality. Our Director of Metropolitan Strategy and Advocacy Jason Syvixay provided key perspectives on behalf of the organizations who have led the charge from the community and business sectors (represented by Stephen Raitz, Alexandra Hryciw, Puneeta McBryan and Cheryl Probert). In this Edmonton Journal piece, Syvixay notes that more work needs to be done to sharpen the city's focus on this opportunity and take deliberate and measurable action: "The report falls short of an actual prioritization of actions. It doesn’t list which ones at what time — it doesn’t assign key responsibilities within city administration. It doesn’t actually outline timelines for implementation or how success will be measured and evaluated, something that was so important to us." We are looking forward to the discussion at City Hall next week and to the positive changes that can and will emerge if we build a successful downtown that accommodates all modes of transportation in a manner that is clean, safe, dignified, convenient, attractive and fun. We believe that we all need to be "all in" for downtown. There's more work to be done - and we are here for it. https://lnkd.in/gVjX2xpQ #Edmonton #Downtown #cityplanning #transportation #bikefriendly #pedestriansafety

Discover which Montana cities are shining in the list of 'Best Run Cities in America'! Wallet Hub's recent analysis unveils cities with commendable leadership and responsible use of public funds. Despite not being urban giants, these Montana cities are making waves alongside big counterparts. Find out more about their impressive standings in the rankings here: https://loom.ly/2itYAcY

Latest newsletter: Conflict or Opportunity? A Brisbane resident has raised a petition to Brisbane City Council (BCC) to allow parking on the verge in narrow streets. Their street is not wide enough for cars to park on both sides of the street and leave room for other vehicles to fit through the gap. On some narrow streets, BCC has addressed this issue by restricting parking to one side of the street, but these residents want the rules changed so they can park both sides by parking on the verge. Their campaign has led to articles, television, and radio interviews in the mainstream media and lively debates on social media. These stories and comments reveal attitudes to councils, public space, pedestrians, competing transport modes, community, and suburban lifestyles. They also show our standard approach to problems. Simple problem, simple solution. The simple problem: I need to park my car(s) and there isn’t enough room on the street. The simple solution: There’s space on the verge, so I could park there. The debate descends very quickly into good guys blaming bad guys. I’m a good guy for making more space for other vehicles to get by (polite parking). The greedy developers didn’t make the roads wide enough. The greedy council approves too many houses in the space to get more rates. The council fines are just revenue-raising - and worse, the fine was more than the state minimum. With this mindset, opposing views must be either wrong or irrelevant. But it’s not just car owners. We are all prone to doing this. Growing food on the verge is putting your passions ahead of other uses of this shared place. Claims of inclusiveness and community building by growing food on the verge ignore those we exclude. Likewise, advocates of rewilding and microforests put the use of common land for their individual passions over the needs of many other users and uses of this space. Every one of these activities, shaped by one viewpoint, lays ground for conflict and a major dispute between residents, councils, and neighbours. Complex problems require collaborations. Collaboration is often thought of as like-minded individuals and organisations working together and pooling their resources. This works well for well-defined projects but is not enough to address complex problems. Complex problems need a much greater diversity of viewpoints and skills. Collaborations between unlike-minds mean that we have to be curious about competing viewpoints. We need to listen, discuss, and come up with a shared purpose that satisfies everyone. It’s not easy and it’s not quick; but it gets easier with practice and quicker as we build trust and relationships. Read more at https://lnkd.in/gT99rBaV

Exciting News! Folsom, California is among the fastest-growing cities! Discover why our charming city is booming in ABC 10's latest feature. From economic opportunities to lifestyle perks, Folsom is making waves. Don't miss out on this insightful segment! 📺 Watch the full story here: ABC 10 Feature on Folsom's Growth #Folsom #EconomicGrowth #CommunitySpotlight #ABCTen

"𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐮𝐭 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭" 𝐢𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚'𝐬 𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 The most pronounced dynamic shaping U.S. cities heading into 2024 is "the donut effect" — a hollowing of the urban core as people, jobs and retailers flee to the suburbs and exurbs. Why it matters: For all the talk of 2023 being the year of downtown recovery, the reality looks more like a swirl of experiments in how to attract residents, commuters and visitors to cities where the pulse beats differently than it did pre-pandemic. Axios #urbanism #bestpractices #BilbaoMetropoli30 #Bilbao

There are many reasons for Inland Empire cities to partner with Reach Out through our Healthy Cities Institute if they are considering launching healthy city initiatives. ✅ Partner cities gain access to our partner organizations. This means that in many cases, instead of starting a component from scratch, they gain the benefit of a ready-made solution they can implement, saving time and money. ✅ Partner cities have access to Reach Out staff. Beginning a healthy city initiative takes time, and we understand that many cities are understaffed as it is. We coordinate much of the engagement and initial set up for our partner cities, taking on the burden of outreach and development. ✅ Partner cities get an inside look at success stories (and less successful ventures) undertaken in other cities. By partnering with Reach Out, cities aren't beginning from the ground up. They implement over a decade of learnings we've gathered from previous efforts. #HealthyCities #InlandEmpire #ReachOutPartnership

Looking to protect yourself from rising costs? These five affordable cities might just do the trick! Check out the list and comment with your favorite of the five. Let's explore the Jersey Shore #viewnewjerseyhouses #Livinglifestylejerseyshore

Before moving to a new community, be sure it offers the features you want. Learn what aspects to consider in a new town.

We're excited to share our (with Miguel Jaller, Runhua (Ivan) Xiao, and Raina Joby) latest study on the integration of transit and bikeshare for affordable housing residents. This research utilizes agent-based simulation to explore when, where, and for what trip purposes bikeshare can complement or substitute transit services, specifically benefiting affordable housing residents. In addition, our findings highlight a forward-looking strategy for governments and operators, aiming to optimize the use of public resources when planning bikeshare systems. Please check out our publication to learn more about how we can create more efficient and equitable transportation solutions!

Redfin ranked the best 10 #TexasCities to live, including five in #NorthTexas (1) #FortWorth, (4) #Dallas, (7) #Denton, (8) #Richardson, and (10) #Plano. Rankings include 20 criteria in 4 areas: Community & Health (40% of overall score), Navigability (20%), Housing & Economy (20%), and Recreation & Leisure (20%). "Best" cities must have a high ranking in each area. Data is collected from #Census, #FoursquarePlaces, #GeoDBCities, #Google, and #Redfin, including #HouseholdIncome, #Jobs, #HousingAffordability, #Retail, #Entertainment, #Arts, #Schools, #EducationLevel, #HealthcareAccess, #EnvironmentalHealth, #PhilanthropicOrganizations, #CommutingTime, #Parks and #Sports. I have lived in 3 of the 5 NTX cities ranked and support the claims from my experience. 😀 https://lnkd.in/gYvks24V